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Mission record

Deep Impact

Also known as DIF, Deep Impact Flyby, Deep Impact (EPOXI), EPOXI

NASA · Launched

Explore trajectory

Completed · Success

NASA's Deep Impact delivered a special impactor into the path of Tempel 1. Deep Impact was redirected toward Comet 103P/Hartley (Hartley 2).

Destinations
Launch vehicle
Delta 7925-9.5
Launch site
Cape Canaveral, Fla. / SLC-17B
Countries
United States
Mission types
Flyby, Impactor

Chronology

Mission timeline

  1. Launch

    Launched from Cape Canaveral on a Delta 7925-9.5

    Earth

  2. Deployment

    Released the impactor probe into Tempel 1's path

    9P/Tempel 1

  3. Impact

    Impactor hit Tempel 1

    The navigation solution gives impact at 05:44:34.200 UTC; this catalog event is rounded to the nearest second. The trajectory retains the source endpoint.

    9P/Tempel 1

  4. Flyby

    Deep Impact conducted its flyby of Comet Hartley 2

    103P/Hartley (Hartley 2)

  5. Loss of contact

    Last communication with Deep Impact

  6. Mission end

    NASA abandoned efforts to contact Deep Impact

Mission architecture

Vehicles

Trajectory record

Time-dependent navigation trajectory

Source states place the model at the selected time. Reconstructed flight, estimates, predictions and historical mission plans are identified by interval; gaps remain visible.

J2000 · Sun-centered display · positions interpolated between source states

Coverage: January 12, 2005 to January 30, 2021

Source records and sampling assumptions are retained with the repository data. Model attitude and surface appearance are illustrative.

  • Deep Impact impactor: Reconstructed · July 3, 2005 to July 4, 2005
  • Deep Impact / EPOXI: Estimated · January 12, 2005 to January 30, 2021

Provenance

Sources

Each source is listed once and labeled with the mission, event, trajectory, or destination/body context it supports.

Data verified through October 10, 2026